Ultraconservative Can Be Liberal

Among candidates who sought high offices last November misspeak Todd Akin ranked at the top or near the top in conservatives. Well, it turns out Mr. Akin is quite liberal when it comes to doling out taxpayer funds.

The St. Louis Beacon reported that former congressman Akin, unsuccessful Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate, ranked the second highest in the U.S. House in the percentage hike in salaries and bonuses given to staff members in the final quarter of last year. The fourth quarter staff payments by Akin increased by more than 98 percent over the average of his staff salaries in last year’s first three quarters. He left the U.S. House after losing to Sen. Claire McCaskill in the November general election.

Other members of Congress who were leaving did the same thing, but not to the extent that Akin did. That includes others from the St. Louis area.

The top liberal spender in the fourth quarter in staff salaries and bonuses was U.S. Rep. Gary Ackerman, D-NY, whose staff payments rose by 100 percent in the fourth quarter.